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Welcome Home to Jacobs Camp: A Blessing

June 2021                                            Rabbi Barry H. Block

M’kor habrachot,

O God, Source of blessings,

We give thanks for this great day,

When we may once again say,

And hear,

“Welcome Home”

To Jacobs Camp.

This special place

Has been our summer home—

In many ways, our *real* home—

Since we were very young.

Here, we paint and shoot baskets,

Sing and slide down Wet Willie,

Eat ribs and fried chicken,

Perform on stage and pray on the shore of Lake Gary.

Most of all,

We grow up

At Jacobs Camp—

As Jews, as friends, and as mensches.

Here, we try our hardest,

And we are as *almost* as happy

When our friends win

As when we do.

What’s important is that we made a new friend,

Learned something new,

And bonded with our besties.

We enjoy bunk night and messy night,

And we wait all year

For the next Maccabiah,

The next camp Shabbat,

The next time we come through those gates

On Morrison Road.

We love everything about Jacobs Camp,

Even the fact that the gates didn’t open last year.

We missed camp more than anything,

But we knew our camp would keep our community safe and healthy.

And so,

We return to Jacobs Camp,

Or we drive through that sacred gate for the first time,

with confidence,

with optimism,

with excitement,

with dreams of the greatest summer ever.

Baruch Atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-olam, sh’hechianu v’ki’manu v’higianu lazman ha-zeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Guardian of all, who has kept us in life, sustained us, and brought us to this moment, of saying, of shouting, and of hearing, “Welcome Home,” once again!